


Appreciation

by ShiDreamin



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Read as platonic or ship, Whole team as found family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:00:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25916236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShiDreamin/pseuds/ShiDreamin
Summary: Asahi wouldn’t be Karasuno’s third year ace for long. For now, though, he could promise to make it count.
Relationships: Azumane Asahi & Nishinoya Yuu, Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu
Kudos: 13





	Appreciation

The sound of the ball hitting the floor with a dull thud echoed until the bell rang and the numbers flashed 25-18.

“That… was amazing!” Hinata’s yell echoed throughout the arena as he took a running leap, earning him a shake of heads and laugh at the first year’s endless energy. Karasuno’s team was otherwise exhausted, dripping with sweat as they grabbed towels and refreshments, their sneakers squeaking on the sweaty floors. For once, it appeared as though Tsukishima and Kageyama made a connection, glaring at Hinata together, though it didn’t stop Nishinoya and Tanaka from meeting his eyes, jumping in unison a second time.

“WE WOOOOON!”

“Quiet DOWN!” Daichi snapped. Sugawara grinned behind him, laughing quietly as the three continued their bouncing regardless. Kageyama sighed, closing in to grab Hinata and drag him from the leaping pile.

“Honestly,” he groaned, “you’re such an idiot.” His response was a raspberry, to which he stuck out his tongue in response. Sugawara was outright laughing at this point, much to Daichi’s sigh.

“I’m ready to go back on the court anytime,” Hinata clarified, pumping his fist as he spoke. Sure, the sweat collecting at the base of his neck was sticky, but the endless thrumming of his heartbeat and the dull ache in his knees simply made him want to run faster, push harder.

“Oh yeah, that’s the energy my _kouhai_ needs!” Tanaka grinned, smacking Hinata playfully before turning at the scent of Kiyoko’s lotion at the door. “Kiyoko! Wait! Let me carry your bag!” Hinata winced as Tanaka received a refusal from Kiyoko, a swat on the arm from Sugawara, and a bump to the head by their wonderful captain for his troubles.

“I’m excited now too! Alright, _kouhai_ ,” Nishinoya hummed, thumping his chest, “when we get back, I’ll show you the best rolling thunder ever!”

“Really?! Gee, thanks Noya-senpai!” Perhaps it was true that the rest of the team simply couldn’t appreciate the sheer coolness of rolling thunder, but Hinata would never turn down the opportunity for Karasuno’s very own defense prodigy to teach him any receive. The position of libero hung over some head’s like a sentence, but on Noya it appeared to be a cape.

“Alright you two, we’ll be going now!” Sugawara warned, and finally, the energy in the air seemed to dissipate as the two shortest members separated. Daichi nudged him gently as Sugawara took headcount: Yamaguchi helping Tsukishima with his bag, check, Daichi, Asahi, and Tanaka patiently waiting for their coaches, check, Shimizu waiting at the exit besides Ennoshita, Hisashi and Kazuhito, check, though now without receiving a glare for their trouble. With Kageyama challenging Hinata to some surely wild proposal and Nishinoya gathering his shoes, they were all accounted for.

“We’re all here?” Daichi prompted, earning him a smile and a nod. “Okay! Everyone, today was a good match! Let’s get back to the bus!”

Snippets of conversation began to bubble over as they gathered their remaining equipment, preparing to head back after a hard day’s work. Kageyama and Hinata’s heated debate about being best prepared for the next match easily took over the others, and sure enough, they quickly began to overcome the team captain’s steps in their haste to the bus.

Asahi lingered to the back, watching them with tired eyes.

"Hey, Asahi-san! Come here!" Asahi turned in surprise to look at Nishinoya, who surprisingly was choosing to walk slowly rather than jog to keep up with Hinata. He offered a smile and stopped, allowing the second year to catch up.

"Geez, don't give me that look," Nishinoya grumbled, before turning to give a full 120-watt grin at Asahi. "You did great, Asahi-san! Just like our ace should! Now, if only you would continue with your attitude after leaving the court..." The words quickly bundled together at the end of his statement as the libero chuckled at the thought of the large, hulking Asahi acting even half as fiercely as he did in a normal match. No doubt, the number of rumors circling around the timid ace would increase, even if he never seemed to grasp their meanings.

"Ah. Thanks, Noya. You did well too, as always," Azumane responded, looking away slightly as a faint hint of pink spread from cheek to cheek. Difficult as it may be, Nishinoya managed to swallow a chuckle at the sight; even after two years, it was difficult to connect the timid Asahi outside the court to the beast within.

"Just well? Did I do that poorly?" he egged on, leaning forward to grab the ace's jersey, earning a bewildered glance. Asahi glanced over to the members before them, realizing now that the distance between them and the rest of the team was growing. Nishinoya tended to be touchy and excited after a match, but him simply slowing down to walk alongside Asahi was not a common occurrence.

“Not at all,” Asahi managed, his brows knitting. “Uh, you did really well, Nishinoya. Oh! I mean, you always do well. You delivered today like you always do.” The unspoken "I don't" wasn't lost on the second year, who proceeded to grab Asahi's arm and hang off it.

“I better have! I can do my best, knowing that you’re on the court, Asahi-san!” Nishinoya responded with a bright smile. “There’s no one better to receive my sets!”

That was true, wasn’t it? Asahi looked at the bright blonde strands of hair covering part of Nishinoya's eyes, and the way some of his hair was being pulled down by gravity. During the match Nishinoya’s face had been soaked in sweat, his hair matted to his face as he dove and crashed to the floor, and yet, regardless, he managed to set the ball high, his eyes looked on Asashi’s form. Slowly, a wide grin began to spread across the third year's face to match Nishinoya's.

"Thanks, Noya. I appreciate it.” Asahi hummed, and perhaps against his better intuition, he moved his hand to pet the other boy's hair. The response was a widening of eyes as Nishinoya looked upwards to him, followed by a happy laugh. Asahi felt his own eyes soften at the sound, tugging Nishinoya closer to his chest.

He wouldn’t be Karasuno’s third year ace for long. For now, though, he could promise to make it count.

**Author's Note:**

> Whoo! Fixed up this old draft when Haikyuu! ended. Asanoya was my OG OTP for Haikyuu and I still love them dearly.  
> It was interesting... fixing this up lol. My old writing style was more dialogue focused, and I ran by the rule of "everyone needs to be doing something" to balance out a big cast. Nowadays I do more prose, and I'm really into worldbuilding.
> 
> If you enjoyed reading my fics, I'm running a giveaway on my twitter [ @Shidreamin ](https://twitter.com/shidreamin/) ! ♥ You'll get to see some art pieces I've done recently, mostly for FE, and also some of zine previews!


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